1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator for percussion instruments, such as a single-bass drum, a double-bass drum, a cow bell, a block, a cymbal, or a hi-hat. More specifically, to a heel driven pedal which, when combined with a toe driven pedal, allows multiple percussion instruments to be played with one foot.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Commonly known drum pedals comprise a hinged pedal, which is toe-driven, for striking a bass drum or another percussion instrument. These known drum pedals utilize a mallet or a beater which is driven with a spring/pivotal apparatus comprising a rod with a bearing positioned between one or two pedestals or towers. Such drum pedals are taught by Juster, U.S. Pat. No. 1,775,283, Currier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,523, Loftus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,325, and Kurosaki, U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,910.
Another type of known drum pedals operates in a double bass drum application. These double bass drum pedals use a rod and a universal joint assembly to connect two pedals to strike a percussion instrument with two beaters. Such a drum pedal is taught by Hailand, U.S. Pat. No. 2,845,830.
While most common drum pedals are operated by pressure of the front or toe part of the foot, some known drum pedals utilize other portions of the foot, such as a heel. Layerants, U.S. Pat. No. 2,484,302, teaches a drum pedal which is hinged in a center of the pedal. This drum pedal utilizes the downward movement of the heel and the toe to actuate a pair of beaters to strike a drum. Ward et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,761 teaches a heel-driven pedal assembly that operates a hi-hat assembly using a complex pulley system. Ashby, U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,039, teaches a heel-driven assembly that actuates a forward, front beater to strike a frontward bass drum using a hinge and a belt system. The Ashby Patent uses the heel, rather than the toe, to strike the drum in a forward motion to reduce fatigue of the musician. Onyszkanycz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,830 teaches a heel-driven pedal that actuates a beater to strike a frontward bass drum. However, none of these pedals can be utilized in combination with a standard toe-driven pedal.
Other types of known drum pedals utilize a hinge between a toe-driven pedal and a heel-driven pedal. Karn U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,076 and Escamilla U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,957 both teach such a system wherein both the toe-driven pedal and the heel-driven pedal actuate a pair of beaters which strike a single drum. These systems also cannot be utilized in combination with a standard toe-driven pedal.
Similarly, Simpson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,128, teaches a system that utilizes a hinge between a toe-driven pedal for a front drum and a heel-driven pedal for a rear drum. This system has a shortcoming in that, because of the proximity of the rear drum, the musician's seat or “throne” interferes with the placement of the system thus making playing the instrument awkward. Further, this system cannot be utilized in combination with a standard toe-driven pedal.
Accordingly, there is a need for a heel-driven drum pedal which can combined with a standard toe-driven drum pedal without the limitations or complexities of known drum pedals.